Known to many people other than the locals as the Cake Tin, due to its uniform shape and metallic external appearance, the Westpac Stadium was built in 1999 on reclaimed railway land a mile's stroll from the New Zealand capital's business district.

Initially known as the Westpac Trust Stadium, it has a capacity of around 34,500, with an extra few thousand possible depending on corporate uptake and temporary seating. It is home to the Super Rugby Hurricanes and provincial Wellington rugby teams, and the seating is done out in the city's black and gold colours. The annual Wellington Sevens on the IRB World Series circuit are also staged there.

The stadium is also home to the relatively new Wellington Phoenix football team, who established a New Zealand record crowd for a soccer match of 31,853 when they hosted LA Galaxy (featuring David Beckham) in December 2007. One-day cricket internationals are also played there; the Westpac was conceived to succeed the ageing Athletic Park (rugby) and Basin Reserve (cricket).

As a modern multi-purpose venue the Westpac has also hosted concerts (the Rolling Stones and Kiss among them) and a visiting version of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. But rugby is the primary concern.

Happier nights for the All Blacks at the Westpac Stadium have included wins over the Springboks in 2002 and 2006, and the British & Irish Lions, 48-18, in the second Test of 2005 when Dan Carter collected 33 points with two tries, four conversions and five penalty goals. The ground also hosted matches at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, including a brace of quarter-finals.